This sloping green-roofed auditorium offers a two-for-one deal – a sunken indoor concert hall and an outdoor auditorium on the roof. Designed for Elche, Spain by Urbanarbolismo[2], the Auditorium “Ciutat d’Elx” is a sustainably-designed cultural space planned for the neighborhood of Carrús. The green roof[3] acts as a sloping, open-air auditorium and helps keep the entire building cooler while improving the quality of public space in this area of Elche.

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Urbanarbolismo[2]‘s eco auditorium[5] is a triangular building that features a leafy living facade[6] facing the street and a sloping green roof up top. The sides are covered in glass to let light into the interior spaces. During the cooler months, sunlight enters the windows and heats the concrete thermal mass inside for passive heating throughout the day. In the warmer months, shades are drawn over the window to protect from the hot sun. A geothermal cooling system[7] plus the green roof keep the interior spaces cool. Additionally, the auditorium is sunken below the street level, which reduces the cooling demand and also helps with the acoustics.

Native vegetation and low-maintenance plants cover the building, which is irrigated with rainwater collected on the roof and stored in reservoirs at the ends of the building. A small patio faces the street with tall trees that help indicate the scale of the building and also provide a more impressive entrance to the auditorium. The main objective of the auditorium “Ciutat d’Elx” is to improve the quality of public space at the neighborhood of Carrús.